With months to go before its first Super Bowl, ESPN’s milestone season has turned into a bizarre soap opera, with lead NFL analyst Troy Aikman as the main character.
Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported Wednesday Aikman and longtime boothmate Joe Buck have had “tension,” which came to a head in “an argument” prior to Monday night’s Bills-Rams game. Appearing on Dallas’ 96.7 The Ticket Thursday morning, Aikman didn’t deny the report, saying there would be a time and place to address it, and that it is “not hard to figure out kind of what’s happened.”
Aikman also addressed his future, all-but-pointing to an imminent departure from ESPN, saying, “I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this year does hold, with the Super Bowl and all that, and where my next landing spot might be.”
Later Thursday, Aikman took it a step further when he told sports media writer Jimmy Traina that he believes his time with ESPN is ending. “It just seems to be where they’re going,” he said, according to Traina. “They’re gonna go in a different direction because there’s been no talks, no contract negotiations. We’re in a Super Bowl year. The Super Bowl is Feb. 14. My contract ends in March. It just doesn’t seem logical that if they were gonna keep me, something wouldn’t be in place before that.”
Contract standoffs happen all the time in broadcasting, but typically, announcers keep the messy details under wraps.
For whatever reason, Aikman has displayed a willingness to openly express his frustrations. Appearing on the “Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch” last month, Aikman said of his contract situation, “I thought something would be done prior to the start of this season. I’ve never gone into the last year of a contract ever since I signed with the Dallas Cowboys. And so I thought it would be done. It’s not. When it might get done, if it gets done, is anyone’s guess. And it’s really not something that I’m putting a lot of energy into.”
Now in his 25th year alongside Buck, Aikman remains one of the sharpest analysts in the business. But his handling of his expiring contract is puzzling, though not unfamiliar. His 2022 exit from Fox followed a similar pattern.
Shortly after his deal with ESPN was announced in March of that year, Aikman appeared on the “SI Media Podcast” and shared his displeasure with Fox’s approach.
“I guess it’s disappointing. I would’ve thought there would’ve been a conversation at least,” he said. “And then when I did talk with [Fox Sports president Eric Shanks], I just asked for an explanation on some things that I didn’t quite understand, and he opted not to do that as well. I guess that’s where it’s left and that’s how I’ll leave Fox and that’s fine. I’m excited about ESPN and thrilled to continue to work with Joe.”
It is possible Aikman believes he’s been treated unfairly by ESPN. It is also possible Aikman feels betrayed by Buck who, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, recently agreed to a new six-year deal to continue as ESPN’s lead NFL voice. Buck and Aikman have become inseparable and, while we can’t know for certain, it is plausible that Aikman expected the two to re-sign with ESPN together.
Still, his constant public complaints could tarnish an otherwise distinguished media career. To be clear, Aikman does not have to continue in television. He could seek to expand his role within the Miami Dolphins front office (currently, he serves as an advisory consultant). He could opt to step away from the NFL altogether. But if he wants to remain in television, his habit of airing grievances publicly could give prospective employers pause. A return to Fox or ESPN seems highly unlikely, leaving CBS, Netflix and Prime Video as the most viable options. But those companies would have to weigh Aikman’s recent handling of contract negotiations and decide whether the Hall of Fame QB is worth the potential headache.
There are also younger options to consider. Two-time Emmy-winning analyst Greg Olsen is expected to be available once his contract with Fox expires after the season. Rams head coach Sean McVay will reportedly be a broadcasting prospect if or when he decides to step away from coaching. Both men are in their early 40s, are highly regarded within sports media and would likely draw interest from networks seeking lead game analysts.
Peyton and Eli Manning, two of the most famous personalities in football media, host an alternate “Monday Night Football” broadcast that airs on ESPN2. It is hard to imagine ESPN not giving at least one of the brothers a serious look for the main broadcast, should they show interest.
Tony Romo, who split from CBS in early October, is free to pursue broadcasting opportunities and was highly sought after early in his career. He would not be the first once-heralded broadcaster to rebuild his career at a new network.
Prime Video has already reportedly re-signed Thursday Night Football game analyst Kirk Herbstreit, though, according to Marchand, his deal has a clause that gives Amazon the freedom to sign a marquee analyst, if they choose.
Aikman, meanwhile, turns 60 next month. While 60 is hardly old by broadcasting standards, networks are often drawn to younger voices who possess a stronger connection to the modern game. Aikman is a three-time Super Bowl champion who played for the league’s most recognizable franchise the Dallas Cowboys, but he retired in 2001, before many of the league’s current players were even born.
Going forward, Aikman would be wise to keep his complaints to himself. Not only is he creating a huge distraction for his current employer during one of the most important stretches in the company’s history, he risks undermining his chances of landing future high-profile roles.
Plus: How the Blazers keep fumbling their TV announcer search
Two weeks after hiring then firing its new TV announcer on the same day, the Portland Trail Blazers have found their next television voice — sort of.
According to a report by Joe Freeman of The Oregonian/OregonLive, Blazers radio announcer Travis Demers will handle television play-by-play duties “on a game-by-game basis.”
Freeman mentions in the report that the team was impressed by Demers’ call of the Blazers’ exhibition opener vs. the Golden State Warriors. If that’s the case, why not give him the job permanently? The season begins in less than a week and Demers has spent the last seven seasons calling the team’s games on radio and filling in on TV. The organization knows his work and the fanbase knows his voice.
Following Kevin Calabro’s departure and the baffling hiring and firing of Braiden Bell earlier this month, the Blazers could use some stability and familiarity in the booth. Instead, the team continues to mishandle the search, making itself a punchline and giving top broadcasters reason to think twice about pursuing the job in the future.
